Cork-insert machine



1. H. SARIS.

CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPl .lCATl0N HLED'IULY18,19$9.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

a SHEETS-SHEET1r J. H. SARIS.

CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATION mu) JULY 18,1919- Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

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CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATlON FILED JULY 18,1919.

1,406,689, Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3- J. H. SARIS.

CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18. 1919.

1,406,689, 4 Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 4- J. H. SARIS.

CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18,1919.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

J. H. SARIS.

CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FELED JULY as. my

Patented Febyl4, 1922,

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6,-

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CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATION man JULY I8. 1919.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922,

B $HEETS-SHEET 7- J. H. SARIS.

CORK INSERT MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1919.

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CORK-INSERT MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pate ted Feb. 14, 1922 Applicationfiled July 18, 1919. Serial No. 311,891.

[0 1 ii /mm only concern:

lie it known that I, Josnrn H. SARIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at ieloit, in the county of Rock and State of vWisconsin, haveinvented certain new and -useful .ln'iprovcmeiits in Cork-InsertMachines, of which the following is a specilication. V

This invention pertains in general to the manufzuture of transn'iissionor brake lini ngs of the character described in my Patent No. 118%.701.dated May 23, 1916. These lining strips made of woven fabric and treatedto render them more durable, are perforated at intervals, and cork disksare inserted into the holes. The cork inserts project slightly from theface of the lining and serve to initially engage the brake drum orclutch member, as the case may be, so as to cushion the gripping actionof the hand. The disks are forcibly pressed into the holes. and thuseffectually retained therein.

The primary objez-t of the present invention is to provide mechanism ofan auto- Il'lntlC hara. tor for inserting cork disks into the holes of aperforated lining strip in a most economical manner and to such a degreeof accuracy and uniformity as to produce a commercial article possessingqualities serving exceptionally well the purposes for which theselinings are used.

llecause of the chara' teristics of the small cork disks and thealacrity and precision with which they must be handled in order tooperate the mechanism at the desired speed, considerable difficulty isencountered; and one of the objects of my invention is the provision ofnovel mechanism for feeding in a very'efl'ettual manner the cork disksfrom a hopper to a mechanism Willl1 presses the disks into theperforations of the lining.

As a further object, my invention -onten'iplates, generally stated, theprovision of novel devices and mechanisms operated automatically inpredetermined timed relation for placing a perforated lining stripaccurately in position to receive the cork disks. feeding the corks froma hopper and dclivering them into co-operative relation to the strip,and pressing the corks into the holes of the perforated strip. Theco-opcrating instrumentalities by which these general operations areeffected and the finished strips discharged from the machine:

particularly described herewill be more inafter.

Other objects and attendant advantages pertaining to the constructionand functions of the devices disclosed herein, and to the relativerelation and cooperation of parts, will be appreciated as the inventionbecomes better understood by reference to the following description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in wh1ch-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ma chine embodying my improvements,looking at the strip intake side;

Fig. 2, an elevation of the opposite side of the machine;

Fig. 3, a front elevation of the machine;

Fig. l, a plan sectional view taken stantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5, a vertical sectional view, longitudinally through the machine,taken substantially on the line Fig. 5, taken substantially on the line5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, a sectional view taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

55 of Fig. 4:;

Figs. 7, 8 and 9, vertical cross-sectional views taken on the line7-7,8-8 and 9-9, respectively of Fig. 4;

Fig. 10,v enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line 10-10 of Fig.6, showing the disk picker and centering head elevated; and

Fig. 11, a similar sectional view with the disks pressed into the holesin the lining strip by the head.

Before entering into a detailed description of the mechanism I will givea brief account of the operation, substantially in the suba fragmentarysectional vieworder of the functions performed. At the proper time inthe operation, a perforated hning strip is rapidly fed lengthwise onto abed to a position wherein holes in the strip overlie a correspondingnumber of retractable or depressible abutments in the bed. A head abovethe bed carries a row of contering members and in lateral alignmenttherewith, a row of cork disk pickers. At this stage of the operationthe head is elevated with the centering members in vertical alignmentwith said abutments in the bed. A continuously operating feedmechasitioned on the bed, a clamping means will be actuated to rigidlyclamp the strip in such. position. The head will now be shiftedhorizontally to bring the pickers into vertical alignment with the holesin the strip and i will then be moved in a vertical direction toforcibly press the corks into the tapered holes. The abutments beneathsuch holes are held stationary during this movement and constitute arigid bottom against which the corks are pressed by the head and thuslimited as to the depth to which they may be inserted. The head will nowwithdraw, leaving the cork disks firmly inserted and secured in thelining strip, and the clamping means will release such strip, whereuponthe latter will be rapidly discharged lengthwise of the bed. A new stripimmediately follows the filled strip, and the operation is repeatedseriatim. The several operations just described are automaticallyeffected in predetermined timed relation, so that it is only necessaryfor the attendant to see that the lining strips are properly fed to themachine. It should be noted, however, that aside from the generaloperation just described, my invention contemplates a novel means andmethod of delivering the cork disks from a hopper to the insertingmechanism and delivering the corks in such order and relative relationto the holes in the perforated strip as to enable insertion of the corksin an exceptionally simple and effective manner and quickly, consideringthe number of the corks inserted. It should also be understood that theparticular mechanism disclosed is shown simply for the purpose ofillustrating the principles of my invention, and the construction andarrangement of mechanism to the ends desired might be considerablymodified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive it will be observed that the framework of my present machine consists of a base 15 supported by suitablelegs and carrying a pair of rigid upright standards 16 and 17.Intel-posed between and rigidly mounted on the ledges 18 of thesestandards is a horizontal bed des ignated generally by character 19.Upon this bed both the lining strips and cork disks are delivered, thestrips being fed lengthwise onto the bed from the right hand end viewingFig. 3, and the corks being fed laterally onto the bed from the lefthand side, viewing Fig. 5. A driving shaft 21 journaled in bearings atthe top of the standards operates the several operable devices with theexception of the strip-discharging rollers which are driven from anindependent pulley 22, as will be described later. These standards 16and 17 have rearwardly extending vertical side walls 23 and 24respectively defining the sides of a cork disk hopper or magazinedesignated generally by character 25. interposed between these walls isa disk feeding mechanism which will now be described.

The cork disks-are dumped promiscuously into the hopper 25 as shown inFigs. 4 and 5, which has a stationary bottom 26 and a front wall 27, thelatter of which is supported to reciprocate horizontally on the ways 28carried by the side walls 23 and 24. The bottom of the hopper betweenthe parts 26 and 2? is open and traversed by a plurality of endlessaprons or belt carriers, designated generally by 29, trained over drums31 and 32. it will be noted that thedrum 32 is disposed in closeproximity to the bed .19 and that the upper reaches of the aprons aredisposed substantially in the horizontal plane of the top of said bed.The upper reaches travel over a platform 33 supported by the side walls23 and 24, and the aprons are spaced apart by stationary guides 34 whichextend substantially from end to end of the upper reaches and carrymeans which will be presently described, defining the sides of therespective carrier ways. The purpose of these aprons is to deliver thecork disks from the hopper 23 onto the bed 19 in juxtaposition to thecork inserting mechanism. Other feed mechanism is employed, however, inco-operation with the aprons for thus delivering the corks, since theaprons alone are ineffectual for this purpose. The aprons are drivenfrom the cylinder 31, 110 the shaft of which is adjustable as shown inFig. 2, to take up slack, and equipped as shown in Fig. 1, with asprocket wheel 36. This sprocket wheel. is driven continuously while themachine is in operation and any 115 suitable driving means may beemployed.

In this case, the sprocket wheel has a chain connection with the wheel37 (Fig. 4), this wheel having a one-way ratchet driving connection withthe cam shaft 38, suitably jour- 120 naled on the side walls of themachine and equippeo shown in Fig. 2, with a sprocket gear 39 havingchain connection with the driving shaft 21. The driving shaft in turn isdriven by a belt pulley 41 through the 125 agency of a suitable clutch42 which in this instance is adapted to be thrown into and out ofengagement by means of a hand lever 43 (Fig. 3). The wheel 44 fixed tothe shaft hand when it is desired to operate the machine slowly forinspection or for any other purpose. It will thus be seen that when theclutch 12 is engaged the aprons 29 will be continuously revolved in aclockwise direction, viewing Fig. 5.

With the mechanism so far described, the cork disks in the hopper 25resting on the belts 29 will be carried thereby beneath the horizontalledge 15 of an agitating member of which the wall 27 is a part. Thismember 45 forms the top wall for the carrier ways, the sides of whichare defined by the upstanding partitions 46 (Figs. 4 and 8). Thehorizontal reciprocating action of the part 45 agitates the corks in thehopper and causes them to assume a flat position and to enter upon theaprons between the partitions 4G and thus be carried along thereby. Inpractice, the corks are manually stirred in the hopper 25 to evenlydistribute them over the several. aprons and to arrange them flatthereon. It is desired to maintain a full row of corks on each apron andto positively advance these rows toward the bed 19 to insure the properieeding of the corks thereto. In order to insure such positive feed, Ihave provided several feeding elements operable upon the top of thecorks for urging them against the aprons to obtain greaterfrictional'contact therewith and also for positively advancing them inthe direction of the apron travel. Inasmuch as the corks are very lightin weight and have a relatively high co-eflicient of friction, they areextremely difficult to handle by mechanical means, but it will be seenthat by urging the corks slightly against the leather aprons they willbe advanced thereby whenever they are free to move forwardly. That is,at some intervals in the operation the rows of corks are held againstadvancing, due to the fact that the first corks in the rows are in setposition waiting to be removed by the pickers or cork inserting means.During this idle period the aprons simply slip beneath these corks whichhave been fully advanced in the rows. but the belts are continuallyfunctioning in moving new corks into the ways or channels and in closingup any gaps between the corks. The corks are held against rising fromthe aprons by top plates or guides 17, shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7. In thelatter figure, it will be noted that the plates 17 are spacedsutiiciently apart to enable feeder fingers 48 to operate between theplates and engage the top of the corks in a movement designed topositively feed the corks onto the bed 19. These feeder fingers 48 areattached to a feed head 49 as shown clearly in F and 7. which head isgiven a tour-motion teed movement by mechanism which will be presentlydescribed. That is, the head 49. as shown in Fig. 5, is elevated. Itssupporting and actuating mechanism will lower the head until the feedfingers 48 rest upon and frictionally engage the cork disks in theseveral rows, whereupon the head will be fed forwardly toward the bed19, then raised and returned again to the starting position. The head 49is slidably mounted adjacent to its ends on horizontally disposed guiderods 51 pivotally supported at their rear ends at 52 so that the head 49is free to rise and fall about the pivots 52, but is constantly urgeddownwardly by the springs 50. Fig. 5. operating on the guide rods 51.The feed head supporting rods 51 are lifted against said spring pressureby means of cams 53 (Figs. 5 and 7) fixed to the shaft 38 and operableupon 11 tending arms 54 attached to the rods 51. T us, when the shaft 38is revolved the head -19 will be alternately raised and lowered. Meansis now provided for reciprocating the head 49 horizontally on the guiderods 51. This movement is obtained from the cork-inserting head,designated generally by character 55, the construction and operation ofwhich will be explained more fully hereinafter. For the present, it willonly be necessary to assume that the head 55 is reciprocatedhorizontally at predetermined intervals, and it might also be mentionedthat it is reciprocatcd vertically. Links 56 pivotally connected at 57to the head rest and are slidably guided at their rear ends on the shaft38 by reason of the slot engagement 58 therewith, as shown in Fig. andare connected by forwardly extending links 59 to the head a9. Connectionis also established between the feed head 49 and the member 45 throughthe agency of links 61 connected. at their forward ends to the links 59and at their rear ends to said members 45. It follows, therefore, thatwhen the cork insert head 55 is reciprocated horizontally the feed head49 and the member 45 will be likewise reciprocated horizontally,although the head 49 is given an additional movement in a verticaldirection by the eccentric cam 53 for the purpose of bringing the feedfingers 48 into and out of engagement with the cork disks.

Viewing Figs. 5 and 10, it will be seen that the top 62 of the bed 19 isflush with the top of the aprons and that the bed extends into suchclose proximity to the aprons as to enable the corks to move freely ontothe bed. In order, however. to prevent the corks from striking the edgeof the bed as they are moved thereonto, I have equipped the bed withprojecting spurs or guides 63, best shown in Fig. 10, which extend intothe central peripheral grooves 64 in the aprons and enter beneath thecorks so as to provide inclined guides causing the corks to ride freelyonto the bed, or rather the ledge 65, which is simply an extension ofthe bed. The bed is shaped to provide semi-circular sockets 66 (Figs. 4and 10) in alignment with the rows-of corks, and it will be inanifestthat the advancement of each row is limited by contact of the first corktherein against the end wall of its respective socket. A traveling guard67 overlying the corks intermediate the sockets 66 and the guideplates47 serves to hold the corks down on thebed and properly guide theminto the sockets 66. or rather to their final position on the bed. Thisguard 67 is carried by and moves in syncl'ironism with the feed. head49, and consequently will advance with the rows of corks. Viewing Fig.1.0. it will be seen that the guard 67 overlies the first two corks asthey are advanced in each row so that when the row is moved forwardthese corks will be properly guided forward on the bed. The forwardmovement of the guard 67 is, however, shorter than that of the head 49,and to this end a lost motion is'required between these feeding members.To this end the guidefeeder 67 is supported by arched parts 68 fixed torods 69, which are s lidab-le in stationary guides 71 fixed to therespective guide plates 47 upon which they are positioned. Expansionsprings 72 on the rods 69 between the brackets 71 and the arches 68serve to hold the latter against the head. 49 so that the guard 67 willmove forwardly with said head. This forward movement of the guard 67 is,however, limited by the pins 73 on the rods 69 abutting againstthebrackets 71 at a point about midway of the forward movement of the head49. In other words, the guard 67 has a forward movement about one-halfthat of the feed head 49. The guard 6? simply rests on the corks and isadvanced and retracted without moving vertically. Still anotherauxiliary feed device is employed for feeding the corks ahead,consisting of a rotary pusher 74 above each row at the rear of the feedhead 49 and fixed to a shaft 75, which is continuously revolved in acounterclockwise direction, viewing Fig. 5, by reason of its chainconnection 76 with a sprocket wheel 77 on the shaft 38, it being noted,(Fig; 1) that reverse gearing is employed to revolve the shaft 75 in theproper direction.

From the foregoing, it will be manifest that I have pro 'ided mechanismfor positively feeding cork disks from a hopper to a set position fromwhich the corks are removed by the inserting mechanism which will bedescribed hereinafter. Attention is directed to the fact that it isnecessary to deliver at relatively short intervals, a relatively largenumber (21 in actual practice) of cork disks to a set position, and thatthese corks must be moved positively and with precision to suchposition. This is necessary because a picker and an insert device isused to lift the series of corks from the set position and insert theminto the holes in the perforated lining strip. The feed operation willbe retracted to more clearly illustrate the co-operative action of thesev eral agencies employed to feed the disks in the manner desired. Itwill be recalled that the aprons 29 travel continuously and have theeffect of constantly urging and carrying the corks forwardly in the rowsto close any gaps therein.

Since the corks are very light and have a tendency to stop upon theslightest contact or pressure against the side guides, the severalauxiliary feed devices operate intermittently upon the tops of the corksforpressing them into greater frictional contact with the aprons and forpositively moving them forwardly. Thus during the operation, thereciprocating head 45 agitates the corks in the hopper and serves inpart to spread them flatly on the aprons and also serves as a guidepermitting but a single layer of corks to enter upon each apron. Thishead 45 is re'ciprocated in unison with the feed head 49 and thefeeder-guard 67 by reason of the mechanism described above. The rotarypushers 74 press the corks against the aprons if any should stop at thispoint, and thus cause the corks to be positively moved forward. Thefunction of said members 48 and 67 will be obvious from the descriptiongiven above. They are brought into action immediately after the firstcorks in the rows have been removed, and serve to positively move thenext succeeding corks in the rows forwardly to the extent desired.

Coming now to the cork-inserting mechanism, reference will be had moreparticularly to Figs. 3, 5, 6 and 10, which best illustrate theconstruction. It will be observed. that the head 55 referred to above isconcted on its underside to carry a plurality of tapered centering pins'78 and laterally offset therefrom and in alignment therewith, a seriesof picker and insert lugs 79 each equipped on its underside with spursThe head 55 is supported at opposite ends upon horizontal ways 82 on theplungcrs 83 which are guided in suit-able bearings 84 on the standards16 and l? to reciprocate vertically thereon. These plungers arereciprocated by eccentrics 85 (Fig. fixed to the driving shaft 21 sothat upon each revolution of this shaft the head will be lowered andraised. During the periods that the head is elevated, it will be shiftedhorizontally on the ways 82 to alternately position the centering pin 78and the pickers T9 in vertical alignment with the abutments 86 which areslidable vertically in the openings 87 in the bed 19. To effect thismovement a pair of cams 88 1 :red to the shaft 38 and springs 89, areemployed. The springs operable between the plungerconnected parts 91 andthe head 55, as shown in Fig. 4, continuously urge the head rearwardlyon the ways 82 to a position limited by contact of the head-connectedparts 92 against the cams 88. It will thus be manifest, viewing Figs. 5.10 and .11, assuming that a lining strip has been positioned on the bed19. that the first downward stroke of the plunger 83 with the head inthe position shown in Fig. 5. will cause the fingers 78 to enter theholes in the perforated lin ing strip 93. thereby correcting theposition of the strip so that its holes are co-axial with the holes 87in the bed. At the same time the spurs 81 will be driven into the corkspositioned in the respective sockets 66, and upon raising the head thecorks thus engaged will be lifted. During this morement and immediatelyfollowing the centering of the strip it will be clamped sccurely inposition on the bed and held there in by a clamping plate 91. At theinitial elevating movement of the head 55 from the position shown inFig. 5, an ejector stem or follower 95 underlying each cork in the setposition will be given an upward movement to raise its respective corkfrom its socket- 66', thus preventing displacement of the corks from thespurs 81, as might be occasioned by the corks rubbing againstthe sidewalls of said sockets. The mechanism for operating the ejector pins willalso be described later. Fig. 10 shows the head elevated at the rear ofits first working stroke, and thereupon the cam 88 will shift the headhorizontally to its foremost position in which the pickers .79 are invertical alignment with the holes of the lining strip. By this shiftingmovement the head will actuate the feed elements 18 and 67.. causing newdisks to be positioned in the sockets 66 described above. Upon the nextsucceeding depression of the head 55, the cork disks carried therebywill be forcibly pres 3d into the tapered. holes in the lining strip inthe manner shown in Fig. 1.1, the abutments being held rigidly in theposition shown to limit the extent of insertion of the corks. In thisregard, it will be noted that the abutments permit protrusion of thecorks slightly beyond the bottom face of the lining strip. Theprojecting cork faces have a distinctive function as described in mypatent mentioned above. At the rear of the second working stroke, thecam 88 will allow the spring 89 to return the head 55 to its real-mostor starting position. During this latter movement, the clamp 94- willrelease the lining strip-which will be discharged lengthwise from thebed 19 by mechanism described hereinafter. A new strip will beimmediately fed onto the bed by the feeding device. which will bedescribed later.

The clamping plate 9 1 rigidly attached. to four sets of rods 96slidable through the bed, as shown in Figs. 3 and 10, is constantlyurged downwardly into clamping position by expansion springs 97 operablebetween the underside of the bed 19 and the cross heads 98 on the rods.The clamping pressure is released by the action of arms 99 which areoscillated at the proper times for raising the cross heads 98 to relieveand restore the effect of the springs 96 on the clamping plate. The arms99 are fixed to a rock shaft 101 which extends to the outer side of thestandard 1'7 and is equipped thereat as shown in Fig. 2, with a manuallyoperable lever 102 carrying a roller 103 adapted to be actuated by thecam 104 which is fixed to the cam shaft 38. This cam 101 is so shapedthat it will, by actuating the arms 99, cause the clamping plate 9 1toclamp a lining strip to the bed as soon as the strip has been centeredor its position corrected on the bed, and will hold the strip so clampeduntilv after the corks have been inserted, whereupon the clamping platewill be raised permitting the strip to be discharged. and a new strip tobe fed in.

The ejector pins 95 are carried by a head 105 connected by means of theparts 106 to a rock shaft 107, which extends beyond the side of thestandard 16, as shown in Fig. 1, and has connected thereto a link 108,adapted to be operated by a cam 109 fixed to the cam shaft 38. It willbe manifest that the cam 109 is shaped to momentarily actuate theejector pins 95 at the proper time for the purpose described above.

Referring back to the cork-inserting stroke of the head 55 and to Figs.5 and 11, it will be recalled that the abutments 86 are to be heldstationary during the cork-inserting stroke and are to be freelyretractable during the centering stroke. To this end, the abutments arecarried by a head 111 slidable upon rods 112 and constantly urgedupwardly by the expansion springs 113 on the rods. Pivoted lockingmembers 11 1 are adapted to be swung into and out of locking engagementwith the head 1.11 and for this purpose said members are attached to arock shaft 115 having a connection 116 with the rock shaft 101. Duringthe period of operation shown in Fig. 5, the locking members 11 1 aredisposed out of engagement with the head 111 and the latter will beelevated under the influence of the springs 112 when the centering pinsare withdrawn. During move ment of the shaft 101 in a clockwisedirection to clamp the lining strip on the bed, the connection 116 willbe actuated permitting the contractile springs 110 to move the members11 1 into locking engagement with the head 111 and thus support thelatter in a stationary position until the completion of thecork-inserting operation at-which time the locking members 114 will bewithdrawn from the head 11]. simultaneously withthe release of thelining strip.

The mechanism for feeding the lining strips onto the bed and dischargingthem therefrom will now be described. A feed table 117 supported by thestandard 16 and shaped to receive the lining strip in line with the topof the bed 19, has mounted thereon a reciprocable carrier 11S carrying apivoted feed dog 1 119 which projects through a slot 121 in the tableand is adapted to engage in a hole of a lining strip positioned upon thetable for the purpose of feeding this strip lengthwise thereon intoengagement with the feed rolls 122 and 123. These feed rolls arerevolved at a high speed and will deliver the strip rapidly onto the bedto a position limited by the step 124 (Fig. 6), which as shown in Figs.2 and 4, is pivoted at 125 and adapted to be raised from. a stoppingposition by the cam 120 on the cam shaft 38, the spring 120' serving tolower the stop. The feed rolls connected by the spur gears are revolvedby any suitable means, such for example as the worm 125 and gear 127,the latter of which is driven by a chain 128 from the driving shaft 21.T he lower forward end of the dog 119, at the end of its forward strokedrops into a slot 129 in the table 117, so as not to interfere with thestrip as it is fed into the machine by the roll, and upon retracting thedog carrier by means of the lever 131, thefr 3 end of the dog will rideup the incline at the end of the slot and be held in operative positionto engage a new lining strip and move it forwardly upon. the nextactuation of the lever. This lever operated in synchronism with thedischarging mechanism at the opposite end of themachine, is connected tosuch mechanism by the slide rod 132.

The discharging mecl'ianisin consists, primarily, of a pair of grippers133 pivotally mounted at 134 on a carriage 13:) slidable horizontally ona suitable frame extension 136, best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 6. Thecarriage 135 is reciprocated by a lever 137 connected to the rod 132,and it follmvs that the grippers 133 and the feed dog 119 will. bereciprocated in unison. The gripper carriage 135 is moved in onedirection by a cam 138, (Fig. 2) fixed to the cam shaft 38. Theconnection liietween these parts consists of a cam follower 139 which byits vertical move ment oscillates a rock shaft 141 by means of an arm142, and said shaft through the agency of the arm 143 and link 144reciprocates the gripper carriage 135 in a direction to discharge thelining strip. An expansion spring 145 on the lever 132 Fig. 6) returnsthe feed and discharge mechanism parts to normal position, as allowed bythe cam 138. It will be observed that the grippers 133 have pointed ends146 which will be positioned over the ends 147 of the strip when thegrippers are advanced, the stop 124 having been previously raised abovethe path of the grippers. When the head 55 is depressed in thecork-inserting stroke, a presser bar 148 carried by the head will pressthe pointed ends 146 into the lining strip. When now the grippers arepulled forward they will draw the lining strip lengthwise off the bedand intermediate a pair of delivery rolls 149 and 151. These rolls arerevolved at a high speed and will discharge the lining strip from themachine in a very rapid movement. The grippers 146 will be with drawnfrom the lining strip by contact of their inclined opposite ends againstthe stationary step 152 as soon as the strip has entered between thedelivery rolls. These rolls are revolved in the present case by anindependent drive pulley 22 mentioned above, through the agency of bevelgears 153 and spur gears 154.

lVhile the machine as illustrated in Fig. 4, includes mechanism forinserting only 10 corks into a lining strip having a similar number ofperforations, it should be understood that in actual practice a liningstrip of the particular character in mind as produced for commercialpurposes,.has about 21 holes and the machine is constructed'to insert alike number of corks. The number, however, is purely relative and ismentioned simply to illustrate that a considerable number of corks arehandled and inserted automatically.

The machine runs at such speed as to dis charge about 20 strips aminute. Since the operation of the machine is entirely automatic incharacter as has been fully described above, it will be manifest thatlining strips are filled with cork inserts very quickly andeconomically, and at the same time with a high degree of precision anduniformity. It will be noted that the light cork disks which are hard tohandle are positively controlled by the novel feed mechanism and. placedin co-operative relation to the insert mechanism which forcibly pressesthe corks into the lining strip in such manner that the corks are verysecurely retained therein. It will be further noted that the mechanismfor attaining these ends is very simple, considering theworking to beperformed ano speed of operation. In conclusion. it is believed that theforegoing conveys a clear understandingof the princi pies and objects ofmy invention, and while I have illustrated and described but a singleworking embodiment thereof, it should be understood that various changesmight be made in the construction and arrangement without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appendedclaims: in which- I claim:

1. Tn a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, mechanism for positioning a strip and. a row of cork disksin juxtaposition on a bed, and means for lifting the row of corks,

carrying them into vertical alignment with the holes in the strip, andpressing them into said holes.

2. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, mechanism for positioning a strip and a row of cork disksin juxtaposition on a bed, and a cork inserter head equipped with meansfor centering or correcting the position of the lining strip and withother means for lifting a row of corks and carrying them into insertingposition.

3. In a cork inserter machine of the character described, thecombination of a bed adapted to support a perforated lining strip, ahopper adapted to carry a quantity of cork disks, mechanism for removingthe corks from the hopper and feeding them in rows corresponding innumber and relation to the holes in the strip, into co-operativerelation to said strip on the bed. and means for pressing the firstcorks of said rows into the holes in the strip.

at. In a cork inserter machine of the character described, thecombination of a bed adapted to support a perforated lining strip, ahopper adapted to carry a quantity of cork disks, mechanism for removingthe corks from the hopper and so delivering them onto the bed as toposition a single cork alongside each hole in the strip, and means forlifting all the corks so positioned and press ing them in one operationinto said holes.

5. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, the combination of means for supporting a perforatedstrip, a plurality of rows of corks, said rows corresponding in numberand relative relation to the number and po sition of the holes in thestrip, means for moving said rows of corks toward the strip, and meanspressing the first cork in each row into its respective hole in thestrip.

6. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, means for moving a series of corks from a set position andpressing them into the holes in the strip, means for feeding the corkstoward said set position, and a connection be tween the cork insertingmeans and feeding means for actuating the latter by the former.

7. A machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, a bed having a series of retractable abutments and adaptedto support a perforated lining strip with the holes therein positionedover said abutments, means movable down through the holes in the stripfor aligning them with the abutments, the abutments being re tractableduring such operation, means supporting the abutments rigidly inelevated position, and means for forcibly pressing cork disks into theholes and against said abutments when they are secured in said elevatedposition.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination of abedadapted to support a perforated strip, a head mounted above the bed toreciprocate in a vertical and a horizontal plane and equipped with meansfor lifting a series of disks corresponding in numher and relation tothe holes in said perforated strip, means for shifting the headhorizontally to bring the disk lifting means into and out of alignmentwith the holes in the strip, and means for moving the head vertically topick up a series of disks when out of alignment with said holes andpress the disks into the holes when in alignment therewith.

9. In a cork insert machine, the combination of a bed adapted to carry aperforated lining strip, an endless apron for each hole in the liningstrip and adapted to carry a row of cork disks toward the strip inlateral alignment with its respective hole, and means for removing thefirst cork in each of the rows and inserting such corks into the holesof the strip.

l0. In a cork insert machine, the combination of means for supporting aperforated lining strip positioned to receive cork disks, a plurality ofendless aprons, one for each hole in the strip and adapted to carry arow of cork disks toward the strip, and means for removing a cork diskfrom each row and inserting these corks in one operation into the holesof the strip.

11. In a cork insert machine, the combination of means for supporting aperforated lining strip, a plurality of continuously moving endlessaprons, one for each hole in the strip for carrying a row of cork diskstoward the strip, means for urging the corks against the aprons and formoving them forwardly therewith, and means for removing a single corkfrom each row and for inserting these corks in one operation into theholes in the strip.

12. In a cork insert machine of the character described, ahead equippedwith centering fingers and picker spurs, and mechanism for operating thehead to center or correct the position of a perforated lining strip andto pick up a row of cork disks and insert them into the holes in thestrip.

13. In a cork insert machine of the character described, a head equippedwith centering fingers and picker spurs, mechanism for operating thehead to center or correct the position of a perforated lining strip andto pick up a row of cork disks from a set position and insert them intothe holes in the strip, and feed mechanism actuated by movement of thehead to advance the corks to said set position.

14. In a cork insert machine of the character described, a head equippedwith centering fingers and picker spurs, mechanism for operating thehead to center or correct the position of a perforated lining strip andto pick up a row of cork disks from a set position and insert them intothe holes in the strip, and disk'feeding mechanism actuated. by movementof the head for advancing the disks toward said, setposition.

15'. In a cork insert machine of the character described, thecombination of a bed, mechanism for feeding a lining strip length- Wiseonto the bed, a stop in the path of the strip: for limiting its advance,means for correcting the position of the strip to center its holes,means for inserting disks into said holes, and mechanism for dischargingthe strip from the bed at the completion of the cork insertingoperation.

16. In a cork insert machine of the character described, the combinationof a bed, mechanism for feeding a lining strip length- Wise onto thebed, a stop in the path of the strip for limiting its advance, means forcor recting the position of the strip to center its holes, means forclamping the strip in such corrected position and releasing the stripafter acork-inserting operation, means for inserting disks into saidholes, and mechanism for discharging the strip from the bed at thecompletion of the cork-inserting operation, V

17. Ina cork insert machine of the character described, the combinationof a bed adapted to support a perforated lining strip and having asemi-circular socket in lateral alignment with each hole in the strip, ahopper adapted to. carry a quantity of cork disks, mechanism} forremoving the corks from the hopper'and delivering them into saidsockets, and means for removing the corks from. said sockets andpressing them into the holes in the strip.

18. In a machine for inserting cork disks orthe like into'the holes inalining strip, the combination of a hopper for holding a quantity ofdisks, :1. series of laterally spaced. endless aprons having their upperreaches in parallelism andmoving through the bottom of the hopper, meansdefining \vays along the sides of each; apron, means for feeding thedisks forwardly in the direction of travel of the upper reaches of theaprons to keep the disksinabutting relation, means for stoppingthe'first disk in each row at a position in lateral alignment With ahole in which the respective disk is to be inserted, means forsupporting a strip in proximity to said disks, and means for moving saidfirst disks in theirpredetermined relative relation andinsertingthem-into the holes in the strip.

' 19. In "a machine of the character described, the combination of aseries of endless aprons continuously driven and each supporting on itsupper reach a lOW of cork disks, a stationary platform onto Which eachrow ofcorks delivers, means for engaging the top of the corks and movingthem in the direction of travel of the upper reach of said belt forkeeping the corks in abutting relation, moans stopping advancement ofthe rows, whereby to position the first cork in each row inpredetermined relation to the hole in which the cork is to be inserted,means for supporting a perforated lining strip in co-operative relationto the first corks in said rows, and means for pressing said first corksinto the holes in the strip.

20. in a machine for inserting cork disks into the perforations of alining strip, the combination of means for supporting a strip in acork-receiving position, means for feeding a series of corkscorresponding in number to the holes in the strip, from a hopper to aposition in the same relative'relation as said holes in the strip, andmeans for moving said corks in unison from said position an d pressingthem into the holes in the strip.

21. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the perforations of alining strip, a head having members for centering the holes in the stripand having other members for lifting cork disks from a given positionand subsequently pressing them into the holes in the strip.

22. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the perforations of alining strip, a head having members for centering the holes in the stripand having other members for lifting cork disks from a given positionand subsequently pressing them into the holes in the strip, and meansfor moving said head to simultaneously center said holes and operativelyengage a series of corks for subsequently lifting the latter.

In a machine for inserting cork disks into a series of holes in a'liningstrip, the combination of means for holding the strip in a stationaryposition, means for feeding a series of cork disks to a positionalongside of the strip and in lateral alignment with the holes therein,and means for lifting said se ries of disks, moving them over and intoaxial alignn'ient with the holes in the strip and pressing them into theholes.

24:. In a machine for inserting cork disks into a series of holes in alining strip, the combination of means for holding the strip in astationary position, means for feeding a series of cork disks to aposition alongside of the strip in the plane thereof and in lateralalignment With the holes, and means for lifting said series of disks,moving them over the holes and pressing them thereinto.

25. In a machinefor inserting cork disks into the holes in'a perforatedlining strip, the combination of a bed for supporting the strip,retractable abutments in the bed coaxial. with the holes in the strip, ahead equipped with a series of centering members adapted to enter saidholes in a centering action, whereupon said abutments Will be retracted,means on the head for carrying a series of cork disks in lateralalignment with said centering members, and means for al ternately movingsaid centering members and disk carrying means into axial alignment withthe holes, and for depressing the head, whereby to alternately centerthe holes and press the cork disks thereinto.

26. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a bedhaving a series of vertical openings and adapted to support a perforatedlining strip the holes of which are co-axial with said openings in thebed, means for positioning the series of disks alongside the strip, ahead equipped with a series of centering members and combined diskpickers and presses, and means for reciprocating the head in a verticaland a horizontal plane, whereby during one vertical reciprocation of thehead said members will center the holes in the strips and the pickerswill enter a series of disks, and whereby upon horizontal movement thepickers will be positioned over the holes in the strip and upon the nextvertical reciprocation of the head the disks will be pressed into theholes in the strip.

27. In a machine for inserting a series of disks into the holes of aperforated lining strip, the combination of a series of continuouslymoving endless carriers each for moving a row of disks toward the strip,whereby the first disk in each row will be positioned alongside of thestrip in lateral alignment with one of the holes therein, and means forlifting at one time all the disks next adjacent to the strip andpressing them into the holes therein.

.28. In a machine for inserting disks into holes of a perforated liningstrip, the combination of a bed for supporting a perforated strip, anendless carrier for each hole in the strip and disposed in a planetransverse to the longitudinal axis of the strip and in alignment withits respective hole, means for continuously moving said carriers so thateach will move a row of disks toward the strip, means for limiting theposition of the first disk in each row so that such disks are in thesame relative relation as the holes in the strip, and means for movingthe disks from such position and pressing them into the holes in thestrip.

29. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, the combination of a bed adapted to support a perforatedstrip, a hopper containing a quantity of cork disks, means forautomatically delivering the corks from the hopper and arranging aplurality of such disks corresponding in number to the number of holesin the strip in a position corresponding to the relative relation ofsaid holes, and means for removing said plurality of disks from saidposition and pressing them into the holes in the strip.

30. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, the combination of means for supporting a perforated stripand a plurality of corks in juxtaposition, a head equipped with corkpickers, and means for moving the head to pick up said plurality ofcorks, carry them into axial alignment with the holes in the strip andpress them into said holes.

31. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, means for supporting a perforated strip, and a head havinghole-centering members and disk-picker members and movable toalternately center the holes and press the corks previously picked up,into the holes.

32. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, the combination of means for supporting a strip in astationary position, continuously moving carriers for feeding rows ofcorks toward the strip, said rows corresponding in number and relativeposition to the number and position of the holes in the strip, and meansfor pressing the first cork in each row into the corresponding hole inthe strip.

33. In a machine for inserting cork disks into the holes of a perforatedlining strip, the combination of means for supporting a perforatedstrip, a plurality of rows of corks, said rows corresponding in numberand. relative relation to the number and position of the holes in thestrip, means for moving said rows of corks toward the strip, a headcarrying means for centering the holes in the strip and other means forlifting the first corks in said rows, and means for operating said headto center the holes in the strip, lift said first corks and press theminto the strips.

J. H. SARIS.

